Graduates 'need more than a degree' to land top jobs

Students hoping to get on graduate training schemes should ensure that they have additional skills to support their degrees as growing numbers of candidates boast top grades, it has been suggested.

Just as the number of young people entering further education has risen markedly over recent years, so too has the number of candidates being awarded top grades, with this prompting employers to call for a reform to the existing system of degree classification.

Indeed, research carried out by the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce found that a majority of businesses are struggling to differentiate individual candidates from their degrees alone, with other factors coming into play in graduate recruitment.

Commenting on the findings, Shelagh Green, director of the University of Edinburgh's careers service, told the Edinburgh Journal, that graduate job-seekers now need to make their CVs stand out by boasting more than academic qualifications.

"It is important for students to recognise that employers are looking for them to sell themselves through recruitment activities, rather than to simply present a paper list of achievements," she said.

These comments come soon after Simon Dixon, managing director of financial sector training organisation Benedix told the Guardian that standing out from the crowd is more important than ever when it comes to landing a graduate job.